


first dates and other big deals.

by disarmingly



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Awkward first dates, Confused Lance, M/M, New Planet, and hunk and pidge being the only ones who know what is going on, beach dates, bless hunk and pidge, more awkward, nonbinary pidge, really lance and keith just being dumb and in love and awkward about it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-05
Updated: 2016-11-05
Packaged: 2018-08-29 06:10:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8478298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disarmingly/pseuds/disarmingly
Summary: “You are seriously thinking about this too much, man.” Hunk sets the second empty bowl down on the table, pulling Lance from his thoughts. “He wants to date you. He said yes. Now you two finally just, you know, get to spend time together. Alone.”
“That’s what I’m worried about!” Lance groans, sitting up from his arms to look at Hunk like he doesn’t quite get it. “What if he changes his mind because I’m that bad at first dates?”
Hunk blinks once, then twice, then shakes his head. “If he said yes, I doubt there’s a whole lot you can do to make him not want to date you. Short of trying to kill him. You should definitely not try and kill him.”
“This is going to be a disaster and you are not helping!”
 
aka Lance and Keith go on their official first date and it goes about as expected.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sohma](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sohma/gifts).



> oh my goodness this was so fluffy it almost hurts. I'm so much more used to angst so this was a fun challenge and I hope it's not completely stupid! it's unbeta'd so please be kind. also let me know if there are any glaring issues.
> 
> as for headcanons involved here - they don't play major parts but are definitely included. Lance is bilingual and mentions being able to speak Spanish but there is no Spanish used in the fic. Also I hc Pidge as nonbinary and using 'they' pronouns.
> 
> hope you enjoy it. c:

“Lance, I really don’t think this is that big of a deal.”   
  
“It most certainly is, Hunk!” Lance slams his hand on the table, two bowls of space-goo trembling with the force of it. Hunk reaches, with an incredible amount of speed, to grab his own bowl before it slid any further down the table and sighs, shaking his head a little bit before taking another bite as Lance buries his face in his hands.   
  
“Why wouldn’t this be a big deal? It’s the _first date_. The First! _First_! It’s a mega big deal! This could make or break the whole situation! _Everything_ depends on this _one thing_!”  
  
“Lance.”   
  
“What if I mess it up? What if I ruin everything? It’s not like I’ve ever _done_ this before! I mean- not dates. I’ve been on dates. But not official first dates. Like- not the ones that actually mean as much as this one. Well, I guess they did? Maybe? I don’t know, I don’t _know_ , I feel like I’ve never talked to anyone before. What’s eating? What’s sitting? What am I doing right now?”   
  
“ _Lance_.”  
  
“I’m doomed, dude! _Doomed_!” He sinks down and buries his face in his arms on the table.   
  
“ **Lance**! You’re overreacting.” Hunk reaches across, grabbing Lance’s bowl of untouched goo and starting in on it himself. Training today had been strenuous, also Lance bemoaning his existence always made him hungry. It’s not like it was being used.   
  
“How can you say that?!”   
  
“Because you’re already dating?”   
  
Lance freezes, one hand hanging up in the air where it’d been flailing a bit at his ultimate doom at the hands of their societal earthly constructs. Hunk, pleased that his logic seems to have broken through, digs into Lance’s dinner.   
  
“Okay, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t mess it up.”   
  
“More than you could have already?” Mumbled through a mouthful of goo before Hunk swallows it down.   
  
“ _Hey_.” Lance gets up, pointing a finger at Hunk, before he pauses a moment - seemingly to consider the comment - before he collapses back into his arms. “Why is this even happening. How did I get here.”   
  
“Because you asked him out?”   
  
“ _Rhetorical question, Hunk. Rhetorical._.”  
  
Hunk shrugs, not that Lance notices. “You did, though.”   
  
Lance groans again, remembering the moment all too clearly. Or, well, bits and pieces all too clearly.   
  
Things like how Keith had been unnecessarily hot while he was training, and how Keith had only been wearing his stupid black shirt that was _way_ too tight and his stupid black jeans and _why was he always in black why is Lance attracted to an edge lord_ and how, Keith, of all people, had agreed to train Lance in sparring. He remembers how Keith had been winning, maybe a good ninety-five percent of the time, but he’d been laughing and apparently enjoying Lance’s girly cries and hadn’t been the absolutely insufferable guy he normally is.   
  
And how Lance, who to this day doesn’t understand why he’s had this stupid gay crush and couldn’t ignore his stupid gay longing and how it’s not fair how stupid and gay he always ended up being around Keith - cool guy school drop-out mullet _nerd_ Keith.   
  
And how, in a moment of absolute luck, where limbs had been tangled and trips had been implemented, where tumbling occurred and grunts and sweat and hands all seemed to intermix, that ended - as if the fates had aligned - with Lance. Above Keith. Hands on either side of his face.   
  
The only thing Lance remembers thinking in that moment is how _stupid_ and _gay_ he was, or is, and how _good_ Keith looked with his mullet spread out behind him and his face a little flushed and those eyes, bright and alive and looking _right_ up back at him. The only thing he remembers saying was something artful and beautiful about how they were two souls along a similar path towards a common goal.   
  
What he actually said was closer to _you and me should date maybe_ , complete with a sudden vibrant red hue sweeping out across his face and ears.   
  
To his complete and utter surprise, what he heard in response wasn’t a laugh, or a disgusted snort, but a simple, easy, almost happy? Maybe? “Sure.”   
  
When Lance looked back down, Keith was smiling. Really smiling. The kind of smiling he only ever saw once in a blue (because it has to be blue) moon. And Lance just. Laughed.   
  
That had been two weeks ago. They had, since then, bickered. And trained. And ate dinner with the rest of the paladins. And talked strategy while looking at the galaxy map. And generally did absolutely nothing different than they had before, except for those few and far between moments when they’d catch each other staring, and would both end up looking away, embarrassed, at the same time. Lance’s heart now started beating right on out of his chest almost instantaneously upon seeing Keith, and Keith. Well. He was kind of different? But it was hard to tell with how Lance’s internal organs threaten to jump ship every moment or two.   
  
“You are seriously thinking about this too much, man.” Hunk sets the second empty bowl down on the table, pulling Lance from his thoughts. “He wants to date you. He said yes. Now you two finally just, you know, get to spend time together. Alone.”   
  
“That’s what I’m _worried_ about!” Lance groans, sitting up from his arms to look at Hunk like he _doesn’t quite get it_. “What if he changes his mind because I’m _that_ bad at first dates?”   
  
Hunk blinks once, then twice, then shakes his head. “If he said yes, I doubt there’s a whole lot you can do to make him not want to date you. Short of trying to kill him. You should definitely _not_ try and kill him.”   
  
“This is going to be a _disaster_ and you are _not helping_!”  
  
“It’s going to be _fine_. You’re Lance, best first date-r ever. There’s no way you could mess this up!”   
  
Lance brightens up as he looks at Hunk. “You really think so?”   
  
After a brief moment, Hunk realizes how thankful he is that Pidge isn’t here to call him out on his, well, ‘stretched truth’.   
  
“Totally. It’ll be great.”   
  
It works, apparently, because Lance grins, smacking his hands back on the tabletop. “You know what? You’re right! This will be awesome! Hey-” And then he pauses, looking around. “What happened to my-”  
  
“See you tomorrow morning, dude!” And Hunk is gone.   
  
\- - - - - - - - -   
  
The thing is- Lance hadn’t even been the one to _suggest_ the date. They’d landed on a planet that had sent off a distress signal, expecting some kind of epic Galra fight, to find a pretty safe, happy planet. It was pretty modern - which had inspired a sudden, intense sense of homesickness - with cities and farmland and town in between. Their landing space had been on the edge of a forest, and while Shiro and Keith had been all too ready to jump on out and check the perimeter, Allura had decided to void their opinions and make contact with the beings there.   
  
Turns out, their signal was about a thousand years old, and they had since experienced a successful rebellion, ousted the Galra forces, and seemed to regain control of their home with the help of some Galra tech.   
  
Entirely peaceful. No saving necessary. Coran had mentioned that perhaps they should continue their mission, Keith was pouting a little that there was nothing to do and no use to stay on the planet, when Allura - after having made this meeting when she returned to the ship - smiled.   
  
“They want to introduce us to their home. Isn’t that wonderful?”   
  
The paladins didn’t really follow, to which Allura just sighed.   
  
“We are ambassadors, and the council and people of this planet wish to introduce us to their home and way of life. I couldn’t rightfully say no.”   
  
“So they just want to…show us around?” Shiro looked as unsure as the rest of them felt, but seemed to warm up to the idea pretty quickly.   
  
Allure nodded. “Just for a day. Tomorrow morning I am to meet their leader, taken around their capital for an introduction into their culture and rule, and we are all to meet up for a feast presented in our honor. They’ve offered us a place to stay if you would like, or you could come back and sleep here in the palace.”   
  
“We’re getting…a day off?” Hunk and Pidge met eyes, both grinning excitedly, and Lance - as he tended to do when he was unsure of how to feel - turned to Keith. Who, by some grace of the galaxy, had already been looking back at him. The moment their eyes met, Keith looked away, and while Lance was always confident in his impeccable perception, he suddenly wasn’t sure if he was imagining the pink tint to Keith’s cheeks or not. Why…?  
  
“And someones here finally get to go on a date.”   
  
Lance jerked over to the sound of Pidge’s voice, realizing everyone was watching him and Keith, almost expectantly. “What? I, uh, I mean…” His hand moved back to rub at the back of his neck, his eyes going just about anywhere except everyone else, before they ended up back on Keith again. “If you want to?”   
  
Time stopped, or felt like it did, while Keith stared back at him with vaguely wide eyes. For said moment, Lance wondered if he had accidentally spoken in another language, judging by the confused look Keith was giving him, and opened his mouth to try again when he got his response.   
  
“Yeah.”   
  
Which was followed by another pause. “Wait really?”   
  
“He said _yes_ , Lance. How much confirmation do you need?”   
  
Lance turned back to Pidge and everyone else just to see a crowd of smiles, all vaguely different in their nature, but all weirdly supportive. Lance, unsure of how to respond, shifted directly back into an easy grin he was always sure he could slip into. “I mean, who _wouldn’t_ want to go on a date with the best in town? I’m a pretty great first date-r, if I do say so myself.”   
  
And then the groans came, and the air was relaxed once again.   
  
Even if Lance most definitely saw the way Keith watched him, still smiling softly to himself. And Lance most definitely returned the look with a smile of his own.   
  
\- - - - - - - - -   
  
He is late.   
  
Which, really, surprises no one. He didn’t sleep well last night, nervous about the day he had before him and the fact he was going on a date with Keith on an alien planet that looked vaguely like home but still kind of off. The whole not sleeping well meant that he slept in, right through any kind of alarm he probably forgot to set in the first place.   
  
Hunk was the reason he got up at all, a couple of knocks followed by a round of loud banging.   
  
“You know Keith’s been up for like, almost four hours, right?”   
  
“Huh?” He was still half asleep, hadn’t had time to pull on his robe, take care of _any_ of his morning rituals as he got up to open the door. Hunk sighed, the exasperated look lost on the still-sleepy Lance.   
  
“Dude. Your _date_? When were you supposed to meet?”   
  
That statement alone was enough to induce a massive amount of panic – the right amount needed to push Lance into _time to move_ mode, cursing loudly and diving back into his room. Hunk joined him, taking part in the frantic and desperate dressing attempt.   
  
It took an absurd amount of time for Lance to eventually decide that maybe just his normal outfit would be alright, and Hunk – who had been no help at all and had thought everything he’d tried on was _okay, dude. You look fine I promise_ – eventually agreed that his normal outfit was probably a smart idea and _you know, dude. Keith has been waiting for a really long time. Did you two really not set a time?_  
  
“ _No_ , Hunk, we didn’t. I knew this was going to be a disaster. Do you think he thinks I’m late? _Quiznak_ he probably thinks I’m late!”   
  
Eventually he did get dressed. And looked just about the same as he does every other day. And then he was checking with Hunk, waiting for that a double thumbs up, before he moved to run on towards the main sector of the palace.   
  
Since, you know, he was late.   
  
He sprinted down the hallway and around the corner, skidding only _slightly_ across the slick floor. It was elegant, honestly, the way he bobbed and weaved and made it it down to the main level. The 'parlor', if this palace was just that and not also a universe-exploring and battle space ship.   
  
To find an empty room.   
  
Lance skidded to a stop, and then took a sweet moment or two to just look around. "Keith?" Silence. "Keith?" Absolutely nothing. He spent the next few minutes looking around corners and down the immediate halls before he realized that no, actually, Keith is _not_ there waiting for him. He wasn’t not there at all.   
  
"Did he chicken out?" Lance asked an empty room, squealing when the empty room responded.   
  
"He's in the training bay."   
  
"Wha- oh, hey Pidge."   
  
They shook their head, walking right past where Lance was scratching the back of his neck and staring up the staircase. Lance, unsure of what else he should be doing, moved to follow. Pidge didn't seem at all interested in their sudden walking partner, whatever they were typing apparently more interesting than Lance's predicament.   
  
"I told you." They finally muttered, glancing up at the other paladin before turning back to the screen, watching numbers scroll by faster than Lance could keep up. "He's in the training bay. Has been since this morning."   
  
"What? Hunk told me–"  
  
"That's he's been awake for hours, yeah. He has. He's also been avoiding your date by training. You should go get him."   
  
Lance stopped, watching Pidge as they continued on down the hallway. What? Keith...avoiding him? "Why?"   
  
"What–" Pidge's voice was a little distant, considering they were that much further on down the hallway. "You don't think he's nervous too?" And then they were gone, leaving Lance alone in the main forum of the ship.   
  
Nervous? _Keith_?  
  
Yeah, okay, so it took him a few Lance y Lance conversation moments before he was actually able to convince himself to go _check_ the training bay, and he only _almost_ chickened out like three times, but he made it. Right on up to the door and inside to the main room, to find Keith just as Pidge described him – training with the gladiator in the corner.   
  
"Keith?"   
  
Nothing. Which shouldn't surprise him. He was in the middle of training against who knows what level the robot is set at, just like Keith was _every_ day. Nothing special about today, of all things. Definitely not their date. That they're supposed to be on. Right now.   
  
Except that was bs and Lance didn’t even bother taking a second to think about that before he ended up stalking right over to the area of the floor Keith decided was his training sector.   
  
"Dude." Just the sounds of metal on metal, a couple of grunts, the overly obvious fact that Keith's attention has not _at all_ strayed from the work at hand, despite the fact Lance – his _boyfriend_ – was in the room. It was unbelievable, really, and had to change. "Keith! Hello? Earth to Kei- _hey_!"  
  
So maybe he should have thought for a moment or two about the fact he was walking directly into the bubble of a high leveled fighting robot and...well. The Gladiator (oh ouch _burn_ ). A bayard came inches away from his face, forcing Lance to fall back to the floor and tip the Gladiator in the process, Keith nearly following after if he hadn't noticed the fact he almost split his soon-to-be-date right in half.   
  
"Lance?"   
  
"No, I'm the freaking Garrison General. Yes, it's me!" He kicked the edge of the leg off his stomach, pushing to stand and dust off the front of his jacket. "Forgetting something? You know, that involves–"  
  
"Our date?"   
  
Lance hated the fact that Keith looked so confused. Hated that he looked so blank. Like he'd forgotten to eat dinner, or the fact he wanted to go for a walk. Lance felt his stomach drop, hard, as he watched Keith's expression. "Uh...yeah?"   
  
He also hated the fact he was still really freaking _hot_ – tussled and strong and a little sweaty which is a little gross but he was coming to terms with the fact he's basically always attracted to this freak in some way. Especially when he pulled his dumb mullet back up in a little pony tail and was a little out of breath and looking at Lance with wide eyes and a kind of...is that a blush?   
  
"You forgot, didn't you."   
  
Keith frowned, almost a pout, as he turned his face away to wipe his mouth with the back of his hand. "No."   
  
"So you were just avoiding me?"   
  
"No..."   
  
"Then what? Dude, if you didn't want to go on a date this badly you really didn't–"  
  
"That's not it, Lance. I want to go." The way Keith cut him off seemed a little weird, like he was desperate to get his words in. Lance, confused more and more with each passing second, just kind of watched Keith shake his head and take a breath. "I just got...I don't know. Antsy. I woke up too early and I didn't know how to pass the time so I came in here and just–"  
  
"Lost track of it?"   
  
Keith paused, like he was thinking about his answer (uncharacteristic and a little weird, if you asked Lance) before nodding. "I don't know. I couldn't stop pacing before and I didn't want to wake you up because you always sleep in and if we have a day off for once I didn't..."   
  
"Were you really that excited?" Lance didn't even try to hide the grin, taking a step closer and hearing the sound of the bayard shrinking back down to their more movable, transportable design.   
  
"Lance." Keith was uncomfortable, but the flush got a deeper color and Lance liked seeing it. So instead of stopping, or backing off, Lance just took another step forward.   
  
"Because, I mean, that makes _sense_. I _am_ a pretty intimidating guy. But that's okay, you don't have to worry, we're _dating_ aren't–"  
  
"Lance!" Keith's hands flew up, pushing back on Lance's chest to get him out of his bubble. He didn't look mad, which is why Lance didn't really back off in the first place, but...something. Quiznak he was hard to read sometimes. "I'm going to take a shower."   
  
"What?"   
  
"Shower. You know. To wash this off?" He motioned to himself, sweaty and gross and a little tired, and Lance just blinked.   
  
"Were you asking me to _join_ you?"   
  
"What?! No! God, you're so–" Keith walked past him, bumping shoulders against Lance's as he did so. "Go wait for me down near the front entrance. I won't be long."   
  
"Oh, so now _I'm_ waiting. Nice going, mullet."   
  
"Just _wait_ for me, alright?" Keith looked back over his shoulder for a moment before he stepped out the door, and he was kind of smiling, so Lance figured he won whatever kind of competition this turned out to be. Whatever that meant.   
  
Speed up some agonizing hours, maybe even days, that Lance had to spend down in the entrance chamber waiting for his _date_ to finish getting ready (it was maybe fifteen minutes, max), before _finally_ he heard footsteps coming down the stairs.   
  
"Hunk, I swear if that's–"  
  
"I told you it wouldn't be long."   
  
Keith was – well – Keith. His normal outfit (which looked good on him all the time so Lance really didn't have any room to judge) and clean hair and everything was in place, even his bayard, meant that Keith was really, simply, just Keith.   
  
Lance very much ignored the way his stomach turned a little as he pushed off where he'd been leaning against the wall, waiting for Keith to meet him. He held out his arm and bowed ever so slightly.   
  
"After you~"  
  
Keith, apparently unamused by the whole ordeal, rolled his eyes and started off out the door. Towards...well. Lance hadn't really thought that far. But hey, that was just going to have to be part of the fun. Exploring, finding new foods, taking a stroll down whatever extended scenery this city had going for itself. It'd be perfect, romantic even. That was the whole point, wasn't it?   
  
Romantic?   
  
"You coming?"   
  
Lance blinked, not having realized that he'd paused, and moving to jog a bit to catch up to Keith. "Sorry, thinking about our day I have planned."   
  
"Oh? What's planned?"   
  
Lance hesitated for a moment too long, and Keith caught on, one eyebrow arched up as the two of them walked on down to the main area of town.   
  
"You didn't plan at all, did you."   
  
"I planned!"   
  
"Yeah? What?"   
  
Lance frowned, hands in his pockets. "You know. Like food. And stuff."   
  
Keith, after a brief pause, just ended up laughing. "Yeah, great plan, best first date-r."   
  
"I don't hear you coming up with any ideas."   
  
And Keith, annoying and dumb and horrifically unnecessarily attractive, just kind of shrugged. "I don't mind spontaneity. I'm sure we'll have a good time either way."   
  
And then there was Lance, with a fluttering in his chest and a tightening in his stomach and the dawning, unnecessary realization of _just how much he liked this boy_.  
  
Today was going to be...interesting.   
  
\- - - - - - - - -   
  
The date started off just about as much as anyone could have expected – awkward, slow, and a little unsure of itself.   
  
Lance wasn’t kidding when he said he didn’t know what he was doing And if he didn’t say it, he sure meant it. And _not_ about dating, to make that clear, but the world. The city they decided to go have their date in. The place he was supposed to be taking Keith _to_ on this date.   
  
Figuring it out as they went along turned out to be a lot more difficult than he thought, and after a few awkward interactions and some very unsure natives, as well as some walking around, finding a whole lot of absolutely _nothing at all_ related to food but instead homes? Maybe? Of some kind?   
  
They were hungry, it was hot, and this was about the time that Lance would let his ego drop and ask for help from his companion to try and figure things out. That is, if his companion wasn’t just as equally lost, and had been kicked out of _just as many establishments_ as Lance had.   
  
And if Lance didn’t know any better, he was _more_ frustrated than Lance at the situation, and Lance wasn’t sure if he was supposed to feel better or worse about that.   
  
“The least they could do is point us in the right direction! They won’t even tell us why they’re so _annoyed_!”  
  
“You think they can even speak English? Or Spanish? Either would work.”   
  
They were walking back to what they both kind of agreed might have been a more….what. Tourist-y area of the town? To try and find something else. Lance could hear his stomach growl over his words, and all he could do was pat it as they walked.   
  
Keith sighed. “I don’t know. They didn’t say _anything_. What kind of world doesn’t have restaurants?”   
  
“Do you think we’ll have to hunt for our food?”   
  
“That’s stupid.”   
  
“I’m being serious! I’m so hungry. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to make it…”  
  
“Lance, this was _your_ idea.”   
  
“Pidge’s! Pidge’s idea! I never would have left us to starve!”   
  
Which was what they were most certainly going to do. Nevermind the feast that was going to be prepared for them for dinner, or the fact they both had…well. Lance didn’t have breakfast, and who knows if Keith did with how early he was awake, and _now_?  
  
“This is a disaster.” Lance groaned as they made it down to the next courtyard, and Keith immediately started checking the storefronts around them. He was distracted, but that didn’t stop Lance. “I don’t know why I thought this was a good idea. I guess I just got excited, you know? At the idea of this date. I should have planned it _better_ , or, maybe like, at all? We’re going to starve on this planet and we’re never–”  
  
Keith had apparently walked off (probably for the better), not that Lance noticed, at least until the other paladin was jogging back, looking…pleased?   
  
“Found one.”   
  
“You did?! Where?! Keith, you’re my _hero_ I could just–”  
  
A pause, where Keith stopped and watched Lance for a moment, and Lance, who just seemed to realize what he was going to say and what that was going to mean and oh _boy_ oh boy oh– “Wow. I’m really hungry. Aren’t you hungry? Let’s go.”   
  
“Hey.”   
  
“I’m serious! You said you found a restaurant! Let’s go!”   
  
The diversion apparently worked. That, or something about how Lance definitely grabbed Keith’s hand and definitely pulled him back in the same direction he just came and definitely didn’t _realize_ what he definitely just _did_ and all of a sudden they were just holding hands.   
  
Holding hands. And walking to lunch. And oh no oh _no_ this was weird and Keith probably thought this was weird and–  
  
Keith stepped forward a little more to walk side by side with him, squeezing Lance’s hand a little but looking away when Lance turned to look at him and you know what? Maybe it _wasn’t_ going that badly. So far.   
  
\- - - - - - - - -   
  
Other than the food issue, which Lance could go as far as to say went _pretty freaking smooth_ , there were no real issues. 'Real' issues would have, if they had happened, been constituted as something along the lines of 'awkward silences', 'being bored', 'Keith making that I Don't Want To Be Here This Was A Mistake face', and various other things that would be keeping Lance up if this was a dream and not a real life, in person date.   
  
Date. That word kept popping up. With good reason, sure it’s what they were doing – but it was more than that, wasn't it? Every time the word managed to make its way through Lance's head, he found his heart beating a little faster. Found his face feeling a little hotter. Keith, on the other hand, either didn't think about it at all and was just oblivious to the fact Lance was continually having minor little mental breakdowns across the table from him, or he was being a bro by not bringing it up.   
  
Bro...boyfriend?   
  
_Quiznak_ that was lame. He needed to get out of his freaking head.   
  
"Any idea what we just ate?" Lance decided verbal conversation had to be the safest bet, somehow, considering the internal dialogue he'd _been_ having and where that was leading him. They'd just finished eating whatever it was they were served, as well as finding out that apparently whoever or whatever it was who served them didn't accept payment? Or at least, wouldn't from them. Weird, and kind of disappointing considering that meant Lance didn't get to _buy Keith's dinner_ , but also incredibly helpful what with the fact Lance had literally no idea what he was going to pay with and how much it was supposed to cost. They were leaving the restaurant, building, _thing_ together – and it was still light out. Early afternoon, maybe?   
  
Keith, who seemed a little sluggish – probably due to the amount of food they both just consumed – shrugged. Easy, fluid, relaxed kind of shrug. Lance really needed to stop paying this close of attention, but he couldn't help it when Keith looked like that and looked... _content_. No training to do, no Galra to fight. Just him and Lance and the safe, peaceful planet.   
  
"No idea. But it wasn't bad." He glanced over to give Lance a smile, and while it may have been fairly small, it was enough to get Lance's heart racing once again. But at least this time he didn't immediately break eye-contact, and instead actually kind of smiled back, which got him a _much_ better reaction. Another flush.   
  
It was Keith who broke the eye contact this time, taking a breath and looking ahead to wherever it was they were walking. Lance – not one to let these chances pass him by _twice_ – reached out to grab Keith's hand, fiddling a moment with it until his fingers were interlocked with Keith's in a comfortable, nice kind of hold.   
  
"Thanks for finding that place." Keith was silent for a second at Lance’s thanks, but the red of his ears was a pretty obvious giveaway, his own grin growing bit by bit with each passing second. "You really saved today. I was about to collapse."   
  
"You wouldn't have collapsed." The response was muffled, as Keith was still very much looking in the opposite direction of where Lance was standing at his side, but it was okay. Lance could handle an embarrassed Keith.   
  
"No, I don't think you understand. I was about to _collapse_. Die, right here on this rock. And then what would happen? You wouldn't have a blue pilot! You wouldn't have _me_. That would have been disasterous, really, and you avoided it. Way to be the hero even when we're not fighting anything, you nerd."   
  
The more he talked, the more Keith relaxed, his hand finally settling in Lance's and his face finally turning back. He looked...well. A little incredulous, sure, because Lance was over-reacting and absolutely no one was surprised. But he was also smiling, and after a moment or two, _laughing_.  
  
"Don't _laugh_ about this! This is serious!" But Lance was grinning too, so it kind of defeated the purpose. "You'd miss me and you know it."   
  
Keith's laughter needed a second to die down before he finally let his other hand – his free hand, that had been covering his face and his blush and then his laugh afterwards – drop.   
  
"I would."   
  
Lance couldn't think up a response to that, so he just kind of let Keith win that one, feeling his own face and ears and neck heat up as they walked.   
  
"Uh, I mean, of course you would."   
  
"Lance."   
  
“Who wouldn’t? Everyone would miss me. I’m very _missable_ you know–”  
  
Keith had apparently stopped, because suddenly he was tugging back on Lance’s hand, pulling him quite literally right out of his thoughts. “You’re not listening.”   
  
“Whoa– okay. I’m listening. What?”   
  
He was fine, right up until he noticed the look Keith was giving him – a kind of line pulled between his eyebrows, frowning, _intense_. He kind of looked like he was about to punch him, and that initial thought nearly had Lance leaning away, but couldn’t _really_ , considering how Keith’s hand tightened in his own.   
  
“Dude, what’s up? You look like you want to fight me.”   
  
Which was not the right thing to say, judging by how whatever it was Keith was thinking about was suddenly gone, his attention shooting off in another direction. “Nevermind. Doesn’t matter. Where are we going?”   
  
He tried to leave, then. Tried to take lead and pull Lance with him. Lance, on the other hand, wasn’t okay with that. Not like _this_.  
  
_“Hey.”_ It was Lance’s turn to tug back on their hands. “Seriously– are you okay?”   
  
It felt….weird, asking that. Weird because Lance had been worrying about it since he woke up this morning. Because he couldn’t actually tell. Because he _still couldn’t read Keith_ , and it wouldn’t even surprise him if Keith hadn’t wanted to do this from the beginning, and was just going to wait until the last moment before he threw it back in Lance’s face.   
  
That fear had been curling away, silently, in his gut, getting heavier and heavier by the moment. Something he’d been ignoring, yeah, but now couldn’t – not with that look Keith was giving him, not with this whole weird interaction.   
  
“What?” The confusion on Keith’s face almost made it worse. “Yeah, I’m fine.   
  
“Are you having fun?”   
  
“ _What_?”  
  
“I’m serious! I know today’s been weird and okay so maybe I don’t actually have any idea what’s going on but I really wanted this to be a _good_ day and it’s just–”  
  
“ _Hey_.” Keith had that serious look back again, but it was fleeting. There for a moment, and then gone the next. Lance would be freaking out about that, if not for the smile that replaced it. “Will you chill out? Yes, I’m having fun.”   
  
That was not the answer Lance was expected, of all the possible disaster situations he’d created in his head, and apparently his expression said as much – because Keith _laughed_.  
  
“This isn’t funny!” Except, you know, it kind of was. Especially with how Lance’s voice cracked a little over the words. Which just made Keith laugh _harder_. “I’m nervous!”   
  
“I can tell.” Keith’s eyebrows flew up a bit, before he started shaking his head, squeezing Lance’s hand a bit. “I don’t know why. It’s not like I’ve done this before.”   
  
Which…okay. _True_. Why would he? He’d gone from the Garrison – an a+ student with no time to date when he was studying, or training, or just being stupidly good at everything. And after that? Well. He doubted there were many prospects out in the desert.   
  
“Oh.”   
  
The smile hadn’t faded, even if the laughter did. Keith shook his head a little before he started walking again, and Lance let him, wandering after. “I’m having a good time, dude. Calm down. Unless the date is over?”   
  
“What? No!” And Lance was back, taking the lead on their walk, the energy back in his shoulders again. “Of course not! We still have the grand finale!”   
  
Keith snorted. “Grand finale?”   
  
“Yeah! Come on. This time I actually know where we’re going.”   
  
\- - - - - - - - -   
  
How, exactly, Lance knew where to go or what to do is still a mystery. Even to him. Though, that wasn’t not really fair. Not considering how they could still see the ocean, or water, or whatever the heck it was that large and liquid body of something that came up against the beach of their city town thing.   
  
Lance managed to figure his way down to the beach, which wasn't really made up of _sand_ so much as it was some kind of similar substance. Something fine, soft, and honestly kind of nicer than sand. It didn't stick in the same way, didn't get everywhere.   
  
And okay, so what. It turned into a beach date. But Lance wasn't going to deny the fact he saw something that kind of looked like an _ocean_ and got excited. He missed water, missed swimming, missed surfing and beach days and his family all together around a bonfire and s'more and _okay_ , he was getting off track.   
  
Him. Keith. Holding hands. Walking barefoot on a beach. It was _dumb_ , but Lance was...happy. Or maybe happy wasn't the right word, but it was something bubbling and nice and easy to swallow as he watched Keith kind of unsure but also kind of accepting the fact he was about to do this as he stepped out of his boots, using his outside hand to hold them together as he definitely, _definitely_ , waited for Lance to take his hand back again.   
  
To hold hands. To walk down the beach. Quiznak this was gay, but Lance just smiled, and took Keith's hand, and asked him if he did this to every guy he met or if he was just special. That earned him a kind of half-glare, half eye-roll, and then they were off talking about how the sand was different and how Keith's only real experience with it was back in the desert and how, somehow, he didn't mind this nearly as much.   
  
They walked, and they talked, and maybe he should have been keeping time (they had what...a couple of hours of daylight left? If the laws of earth still applied in some weird way to what was going on around them? But if that was actually the case, then they'd be okay.) a couple of hours of beach time was plenty, what with no clear direction in mind and nothing to really do except talk about home and Earth and how, in a weird way, they both kind of missed it.   
  
"But differently." Keith was quiet a lot when they talked about home, and Lance was...curious. Worried, kind of, but mostly curious, considering that dark kind of tone Keith took when he mentioned his hut in the desert or the Garrison or really...anything else.   
  
"What'd you mean?"   
  
"I mean..." Keith kicked at the sand-substance, watching it spread out in front of them. "You miss your family, and all the stuff you guys did, right?"   
  
Lance was quiet. "I mean, yeah."   
  
"I don't. I miss home, yeah, but not because of family. And my cabin– it was cool, don't get me wrong, but..."   
  
"Lonely?" It was an innocent enough question, and Lance squeezed Keith's hand to relay as much, but even still Keith got even more quiet, kind of staring at the ground, not bothering to answer. Lance, reading the situation, slowed their walk to a stop. "Hey–" He was trying to get Keith's attention, and it...well. It _kind_ of worked, but Keith was frowning now. Bothered. "When we go back home, you won't have to worry about that.”   
  
Keith's frowned shifted to something more confused. "What are you talking about?"   
  
"I'm just _saying_. We're going home at some point. I don't know when, or how, but we will. And when we _do_..." Lance was definitely not thinking about what he was doing at this point, because if he _was_ , he'd definitely not be doing what he _was_ doing – that whole reaching out and grabbing Keith's other hand. Making his drop his boots just to hold both of his hands. It was _chessy_ , like some kind of black and white movie, but Keith was _blushing_ and Lance...kind of liked it. "You're not going back there alone. We're all family. A weird, kind of...male dominated family. But a family. And that doesn't change, even when we have different places we want to go."   
  
Keith was silent for a second, looking up at Lance just a hair – just enough to keep eye contact, without his head tilting any. Lance smiled, because that complicated look Keith was giving him made him feel like he needed to.   
  
"And–" Lance added, because he always had to add. He always had to say _just one more thing_. "You'll have me."   
  
And Keith’s response?   
  
Well. Keith kissed him. Just straight up leaned in and pressed his lips against Lance's – 100% stealing his thunder and everything that came with it. And maybe he should have been thinking more about how dumb this was, how they were both standing on some kind of alien beach, barefoot, with whatever star giving light to the planet sinking down over the horizon, right after Lance said something _kind_ of cool but mostly cheesy and now they were _freaking_ having their first kiss and Lance was definitely way too caught off-guard and way too shocked to properly…you know. Do absolutely anything in the way of reacting.   
  
A moment later Keith pulled away, looking slightly panicked and unsure, and Lance’s eyes went wide.   
  
“Dude.”   
  
“I know I’m sorry I don’t–”  
  
“That was my first kiss.”   
  
Keith froze, the panic melting away to something else that Lance couldn’t read into at all. Not that he was trying, what with the sudden overwhelming realization that his _boyfriend_ just _kissed him_ on a freaking _beach_. He was pretty sure his face was going to melt off with how red it was, and oh god oh _god_ oh–  
  
“Really?”   
  
Keith’s voice was so small Lance almost didn’t catch it. But then he did, and he also caught how Keith was looking at him with his eyes just as wide and his face just as flushed and maybe, just maybe, Keith was just as embarrassed as he was.   
  
“Well…yeah. That- You– I mean–”  
  
“I was your first kiss.”   
  
Lance frowned a little, and it was definitely more of a pout, looking off somewhere else down the beach. Not that it really mattered, with how they were still holding each other hands and they were still standing on this beach and _oh god_. “You don’t have to say it like that.”   
  
There was a beat, where Lance starting to feel _really_ uncomfortable, before Keith spoke up.   
  
“Can I do it again?”   
  
Lance froze, unsure if he was really hearing that correctly, but when he looked back over to Keith he was met with a look of determination. Of _excitement_. And he realized that slow curling in his stomach wasn’t embarrassment so much as it was the fact he really, honestly, _completely_ liked that idea.   
  
A lot.   
  
“Y-yeah.”   
  
And then Keith smiled, and Lance realized that he was right all along.   
  
_Yeah_ this was a big deal. A good big deal. The best kind of big deal.   
  
The kind of big deal Lance could get used to.   
  



End file.
